Mickey Sage, 24, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, November 21, to two counts of threatening a person with a knife in a public place and accepted the incident was religiously aggravated.
Man who armed himself with knife and set out to stab Muslims jailed #Camberwell https://t.co/wgzeYZxy9U pic.twitter.com/nx9FYOVR3f
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 22, 2017
In the early hours of June 7 — the day before the UK General Election and four days after the London Bridge attack — police were called to the Camberwell Green area of south London after reports of a man threatening people.
Sage, who was armed with the knife, approached people and asked them if they were Muslim.
When he was stopped and searched by police he had no knife on him but a witness had seen him hide it in a bush, where it was discovered.
'Out to Kill a Muslim'
As he was being taken to a police station Sage admitted: "It was my knife and I was out to kill a Muslim."
He said he hated Muslims and was trying to find one to stab.
Sage added that "he would be a martyr for England and stab an imam in the neck."
He did not appear to be intoxicated and had no record of mental illness.
'Hate Crime Has No Place in Any Society'
"Sage set out with a large knife with the clear intention to find Muslims to stab. Hate crime like this has no place in any society," said Detective Constable Samuel Cafferty.
"Sage poses a very clear and present danger to members of the public, particularly the Muslim community and I'm pleased that he now has plenty of time to consider his actions. Members of public confronted by Sage were not harmed but shaken by their ordeal and managed to get away from what could have been a very different ending," said Det. Con. Cafferty.
The police urged people to report hate crime by using the MOPAC Hate Crime app or by contacting organizations such as Tell MAMA, Galop, or the CST.
